Rangers at Senators
THE STORY: The Ottawa Senators went out on Tuesday and put up seven goals against the worst defense in the NHL. If they are hoping to string together back-to-back wins, they are going to need to put at least a few on the board against one of the best. The Senators had totaled four goals in their previous three games before busting out in a 7-3 win at Tampa Bay. Attempting to climb the Eastern ladder, they now host the first-place New York Rangers. The Broadway Blueshirts have dropped two of their last three, with Henrik Lundqvist looking rather ordinary in the process.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), RSNE (Ottawa)
ABOUT THE RANGERS (42-16-7): New York holds a 10-point lead over the Boston Bruins for the top spot in the Eastern Conference and might have to use some of that cushion to give Vezina candidate Lundqvist a rest over the next few weeks. The All-Star goalie ranks second in the NHL in save percentage (.937) and goals-against average (1.84) but has surrendered 10 goals in his last three starts. Prior to the beginning of March, Lundqvist had not allowed more than two tallies in 12 straight starts.
ABOUT THE SENATORS (35-25-8): Ottawa got the better of Lundqvist and the Rangers in a 3-0 shutout win Jan. 12, and has beaten Lundqvist for nine tallies in three games this season. The Senators are breaking in a new goaltender in 6-foot-7 Ben Bishop, the tallest netminder in NHL history. Bishop made his debut in Tuesday’s win and could start again Thursday. Milan Michalek recorded a natural hat trick against the Lightning and has at least one point in 10 of the last 12 games. Ottawa sits three points behind the Bruins in the Northeast Division. Boston has three games in hand.
OVERTIME:
1. The visiting team has won each of the last 10 games in the series.
2. Michalek has been held to six points - five goals - in 10 career games against New York.
3. Lundqvist is 11-12-2 with a 2.05 GAA in his career against Ottawa.